Means for filling orders in retail stores



Oct. 8, 1940. sH L 2,217,647

MEANS FOR FILLING ORDERS IN RETAIL STORES Filed Nov. 8, 1938ZSheetS-Sheet 1 INVENTOR LANSING E SHIELD ATTORNEY Oct. 8, 1940. P,SHIELD 2,217,647

MEANS FOR FILLING ORDERS IN RETAIL STORES Filed Nov. 8, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 9 i .3. 3a l8 f ao 22 7 INVENTOR LANSING R SHIELD IO l6BY 3 5,

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1940.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,217,647 MEANS FORFILLING oRDERs IN RETAILs'roREs 2 Claims.

10 vide means to effect a concentrated disposition of I stocks ofmerchandise of all classes, such as fast and slow moving commodities,packaged, canned and bottled articles, loose articles, and perishableand non-perishable products, in such manner that the entire stock of thestore will be displayed simultaneously and will be within reach of thoseordering or selecting diverse articles therefrom.

Another object is to provide means for display- 20 ing the entire stockof the store at all times within reach of those ordering or selectingdiverse articles from time to time.

Another object is to provide means to effect an assembly of the entirestock of merchandise irrespective of the diverse character of theseveral classes of merchandise in a concentrated and restricted area insuch manner that selectors will be able to examine and select from saidstock in a minimum amount of time and with a minimum amount of movementby clerks and customers throughout the store.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the largestvariety of products may be so disposed in the smallest amount of 35space in each store so as to achieve the greatest distribution of itemssold.

Another object is to provide means whereby special sales and forcedsales of high profit items will be reduced to a minimum.

40 A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby theworking conditions of clerks will be made less arduous.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby theoperating costs will be min- 45 imized while effecting improvements inservice to customers.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention willappear from the following description thereof, in which reference ismade to the accompanying drawings illustrating a typical embodiment ofthe invention as applied to a retail grocery store.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of atypical 55 retail grocery store embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a preferred form of storage and displaymeans and means for conveying articles selected by customers or others;and

Fig. 3 is a detailed plan view illustrating an alternative form of aportion of the construction shown in Fig. l

In the invention as illustrated in the drawings, a store having a front2 with a door 4 and display windows 6 is provided with suitable storage10 and display means or units 8, such as cabinets or shelving, disposedadjacent the side walls and the rear of the store and one or morerefrigerating units I0 for perishable commodities such as butter, milk,eggs, cheeses, etc., positioned in alignment with the storage anddisplay means 8.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the units 8 are constructed preferably with alower section l2 extending outwardly of an upper section I l, therebyproviding a horizontal support l6 adjacent the sections I2 and I4 andthe unit 22 and the aisle 30, hereinafter described, for tracks or othersuitable means [8 on which baskets or other receptacles 20 for conveyingmerchandise may be mounted and propelled manually. This preferred formof 25 construction also provides greater storage and display space formerchandise in the unit 8. At the same time it enables the receptacles20 to be propelled along the tracks l8 and the support [6 withoutinterfering with the storage and display of merchandise in the lowersection l2 and in the upper section I4. It, furthermore, provides meanswhereby selectors of merchandise may remove articles from the unit 8without interference by the support I 6 or a receptacle thereon,regardless of whether the articles to be selected are stored anddisplayed above or below the said support and receptacle.

The unit I 0 is constructed preferably in the same manner as the unit 8to provide a continuation of the support l6 adjacent the unit H). Thecompartments of the refrigerating unit ID are provided with doors, notshown in the drawings, above and below the support l6, said doors beingfitted with glass windows so that the articles stored in the unit Illare displayed visibly to persons selecting merchandise. The doors may beof any suitable type but are preferably of the slidable type so that theopening and closing of the doors will not interfere with the movement 0of receptacles along the support.

The preferred form of construction of the units 8 and ID as describedabove enables selectors to remove articles from the said units and fromthe unit 22 hereinafter described and to transfer the 5 selectedarticles without loss of time or motion to receptacles on the adjacenttracks l8.

While the preferred form of construction of the units 8 and I 8 and thesupport I6 is described above, it will be understood that the said unitsand support may be of any suitable or convenient construction.

The support I6 is positioned between the top and the bottom of the units8 and ID at a height adapted for the convenient movement of thereceptacles 20 by selectors of merchandise and terminates at one endthereof in a counter 24 behind which clerks are stationed at 26. Thereceptacles 20 are mounted preferably on rollers or otherwise equippedto facilitate their movement along the tracks I8 on the support I6 whenloaded with merchandise. When not in use the receptacles may be storedon racks or in any other suitable manner at 28.

As shown in Fig. 1, the store is also provided with a storage anddisplay means or unit 22. This unit may be of the same construction asthe preferred form of construction of the units 8 and I0 and may beprovided with tracks for the movement of receptacles for the conveyanceof selected articles of merchandise to avoid congestion of receptacleson the tracks I8 referred to above or the unit 22 may be of any otherdesired form of construction. If the preferred form of construction ofthe units 8 and I0 is employed, the unit 22 may be provided with acounter and stations for clerks similar to the counter 24 and thestations 26 described above.

The aligned units 8 and II] with the support I6 and the tracks I8thereon are positioned to extend substantially around the interior ofthe store and adjacent the side walls and the rear thereof. The unit 22is positioned substantially in the center of the store and adjacent thesupport I6 and at the same time is positioned with respect to the units8 and ID, the support I6 and the tracks I8 to provide a continuous aisle30 extending substantially around the interior of the store from a pointadjacent the door 4 to a point adjacent thereto and adjacent the counter24, as illustrated in Fig. 1. This arrangement enables selectors topropel loaded receptacles along a continuous path without lifting themfrom one support to another.

If desired, the storage and display units 8 and I8 may be dispensed withat any convenient point, as shown in Fig. 3, to provide an entrance 32to the storeroom 34 at the rear of the store for the convenience ofclerks and others. If this construction is employed, the support I6 andthe tracks I8 thereon may be extended acrosss the entrance 32 by anysuitable means, as, for example, by employing a separate section 33which may be raised by means of hinges 36 to facilitate entry into andexit from the storeroom when desired. The section 33 is provided withtracks I8 and may be lowered into horizontal position by means of thehinges and movably fixed in such position by any suitable means so thatthe section 33 and the tracks I8 thereon register respectively with thesupport I6 and the tracks I8 thereon, thereby permitting continuousmovement of the receptacles 20 from the support I6 to the section 33 andacross the entrance 32.

Aisles 38 may be provided, if desired, for convenience in placing stockin the units 8 and I8 from the rear thereof and also as additional meansof entrance to and exit from the storeroom 34.

It will be seen that the invention enables selectors of merchandise topass from the door 4, to obtain a receptacle 20 from the rack at 28,and, after placing the receptacle on the adjacent tracks I8, to proceeddirectly along the continuous aisle 30, to withdraw articles from awidely diversified assortment of merchandise comprising fast moving andslow moving articles, packaged, canned and bottled product perishableand non-perishable commodities, and loose articles positioned onbothsidesof the continuous aisle 30 and in the units 8, I8 and 22, totransfer the articles withdrawn from said units to the receptacles 26mounted on the tracks on the support I6 on one side of said continuousaisle, and to propel the receptacles with the articles therein along thesupport from point to point while withdrawing other articles from thesaid units and proceeding simultaneously from the door 4 to the counter24 and back to the door. It will be seen also that this invention makesit possible for each selector to make a complete circuit of the store inthe most direct path pos sible and that in making a single circuit ofthe store all classes of merchandise stocked are on display and arewithin reach of each selector. The withdrawal of the several articles ofdiverse character comprising each order is thereby accomplished withoutloss of time, with a minimum amount of motion and without wandering fromshelf to shelf or from one part of the store to another, as is prevalentin other non-self-service and self-service stores.

When the selectors complete their respective circuits of the store andarrive at the counter 24, the articles withdrawn from the units 8, I 0and 22 may be removed from the receptacles 20 by clerks stationed at 26and placed in containers for removal from the store after payment hasbeen made. The receptacles may be accumulated and stored temporarilybeneath the counter 24 and may be removed at any convenient time to theracks at 28.

In practicing the invention, it is preferred to position all fast movingproducts in the units 8 and 22 in the cartons or cases in which they arereceived at the store after first removing portions of the cartons orcases to permit withdrawal of the articles remainin therein. It ispreferred, on the other hand, to remove all slow moving products fromthe cartons or cases in which they are received at the store and toposition such articles in the individual packages, cans and bottles inthe units 8 and 22. This method saves time which is of the mostimportance in the case of the fast moving products and saves space inthe case of the slow moving products, replenishment of the latter stockbeing least often required and the saving of time being, therefore, ofless importance.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the inventioneffects improvements in the storage and display of the diverse classesof merchandise comprising the stock of a retail grocery store andeliminates the ineflicient method and means in use heretofore with thedelays suffered by selectors of merchandise, the constant moving aboutof customers and clerks, the loss of time and labor, and the high rateof operating expense. It will be obvious also that this inventionaccomplishes the storage and display of a widely diversified assortmentof merchandise of all classes, such as fast moving and slow movingproducts, packaged, canned and bottled articles, perishable andnon-perishable commodities, and loose articles in a small and restrictedarea and permits the withdrawal from the concentrated assembly of amaximum number of articles in a minimum amount of time, with a minimumamount of moving about by selectors of merchandise, whether clerks orcustomers, with a minimum amount of work and expense, and in a widedistribution of articles of the several classes in the total sales ofthe store.

It should be understood that the invention is capable of changes andmodifications to lend itself to any particular set of conditions andthat the foregoing description is merely illustrative of the invention.

I claim:

l. A self service store including in combination a doorway, continuousshelving arranged substantially in the form of a U, the ends of saidshelving being contiguous to said doorway, said shelving being spacedinwardly from the walls ing articles from the front of said shelving,said shelvingfurther comprising wide lower sections and superposednarrower upper sections, the

projecting tops of the wider lower sections deter means between the endsof the shelving and the doorway for the reception of filled and unfilledreceptacles, said shelving being spaced inwardly from the walls of thestore for providing a space for clerks between the shelving and thewalls of the store, said shelving being open at both sides andaccessible for replenishment by clerks back of said shelving at the sametime customers are removing articles from the front of said shelving,said shelving further comprising wide lower sections and superposednarrower upper sections, the projecting tops of the wider lower sectionsdefining a continuous, U-shaped shelf for the slidable passage ofreceptacles therealong, both sets of shelving holding groceries withineasy reach of a customer walking along in front of said U-shaped shelf.

LANSING P. SHIELD.

